NEW DELHI, July 16, 2024 (TBINN)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here late night, urging for a substantial fund allocation in the upcoming Union Budget to address the state’s financial challenges, sources said.
During the meeting at Amit Shah’s residence, Telugu Desam Party (T.D.P.) president emphasised that Andhra Pradesh continues to face the aftermath of “unjust bifurcation” in 2014 and the previous administration’s “miserable governance,” according to sources.
N. Chandrababu Naidu, who arrived in National Capital on Tuesday Evening for a two-day visit, is expected to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today to further discuss state’s financial needs. A meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely on the cards, sources added.
Andhra Pradesh Government’s data reveals a worrying trend in the state’s fiscal health. The public debt has risen from 31.02 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (G.S.D.P.) in 2019-20 to 33.32 per cent in 2023-24, indicating a deterioration over past five years.
Notably, this is N. Chandrababu Naidu’s second trip to Delhi in nearly a fortnight. On July 4, 2024 he presented a Seven-Point Development Agenda to the Prime Minister, aimed at addressing state’s post-bifurcation challenges.
N. Chandrababu Naidu’s advocacy for increased funding comes on the heels of a similar move by J.D. (U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, who met Sitharaman on Monday seeking higher allocations for Bihar in the upcoming Budget.
Both T.D.P. and J.D. (U) are key constituents of the B.J.P.-led N.D.A. T.D.P. is leveraging its coalition partnership to push for Andhra Pradesh’s financial needs ahead of Union Budget 2024.
During his previous Delhi-visit, N.chandrababu Naidu had also held talks with Amit Shah and other Union ministers, including Sitharaman, for state’s urgent financial requirements.
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